An Honest Review of TheProgressive Planter
When I set out to find a thoughtful, conservative-to-moderate voice to engage with my book on progressive church planting, I was hoping for someone who would offer an honest critique while embracing its practical intent. I was grateful when an old family friend, John, stepped in. Our families go way back—my mom babysat him and his brothers in our hometown of Hicksville—and our families have remained close ever since.
John brings a wealth of experience to the table. He’s an interdisciplinary researcher and teacher of the Faith, committed to understanding and serving the Church. Currently, he serves itinerantly in Latin America as an Associate Church Multiplication Facilitator. His ministry background spans discipleship groups, college ministry, and both urban and rural settings. His academic training includes an M.A. and Th.M. from Asbury Theological Seminary.
John’s review is both generous and incisive. He recognizes the book’s heart for practical guidance and mission while offering critiques I welcome and agree with. While many progressives prefer openness over strict definitions, there’s still significant work to be done clarifying a framework of ecclesial minimums—something I’m actively developing further in the accompanying workbook.
There is nothing more meaningful than when someone seriously considers your writing and engages with it intellectually. John, thank you for doing this! It means the world to me.
Check out his review here:
Review: Progressive Planter
In an unpretentious manner, Joe Graves, author of The Progressive Planter open handedly offers tips, tricks, and insights into helping people meet Jesus. Having personally experienced starting something new, Graves litters this writing with personal stories making this book both practical and applicable. What stands out from this work is the way Graves is able to write with his finger on the pulse of contemporary North American (U.S.) society speaking into the real, tangible, and genuine issues at hand. In doing so, Graves is able to keep the main thing the main thing: helping people meet Jesus.
My general point of contention, however, is the overall lack in defining terms or helping the reader along in his thought process. While I understand the point of his writing to be highly practical, I do believe it would benefit largely if terms such as “Church”, “Church planting”, “inclusive”, “progressive” were fleshed out from the beginning. Graves leaves the reader having to assume what he means by piecing together different uses throughout the writing. In today's U.S. society, terms that were once normative in vocabulary are no longer commonly agreed upon such as “Church”. I found myself lacking a basic understanding of the ecclesiological grounding/understanding Graves was writing upon. This lack of understanding left me unsure of a few points he is trying to make. I propose that clarifying the Church’s identity in his writing will, in turn, clarify the Church’s role—what it does and doesn’t do—ultimately providing a solid foundation for much of his overall argument. This idea of the relationship between form and function is foundational to the entire conversation Graves is having and thus needs to be addressed further.
I would also like to see Graves dedicate more time to parsing out the intricacies of “success” from a Christian perspective. This further developed understanding of “success” would benefit the overall argument seeing to it that this entire conversation hinges on “successfully”/ “faithfully” following Jesus. While he does spend time talking about this (20), I found that the amount of time is not adequate for the overall conversation. I also want to note that this work is heavily meant for the context of the U.S. This is not a bad thing, it is important to acknowledge the context in which this book was written and is written for. However, I find it difficult to think through how this work could be used outside of the U.S. context.
Overall, I find Graves' writing to be a compelling and contemporary take on what it looks like to try and faithfully follow Jesus in His command to be the “salt of the earth” and “light of the world”. Forward looking, Graves intricately laces his writing with the theme of hope for what is to come in the world. This writing leaves the reader with a renewed vision for what “could be” by continually drawing upon the theme of renewal in a world where darkness polarizes society.
John Husted is an interdisciplinary researcher and a teacher of the Faith, focused on understanding the Church. He currently serves itinerantly in Latin America as an Associate Church Multiplication Facilitator. Over the years, he has had the privilege of leading discipleship groups, working with college students, and working in diverse contexts—ranging from urban to rural, cross-cultural to local settings. He earned his M.A. and Th.M. from Asbury Theological Seminary.